I remember the day my husband suggested we enter the OMTOM race like it was yesterday. I thought he was out of his mind as I only had two 10km races behind me and a 21km seemed impossible. He eventually convinced me by agreeing to run it with me.

As we were very new to running we bought lots of running material to equip us with tips and techniques of how to improve ourselves. We started aiming to cover at least 20km per week and we gradually increased it on a weekly basis, we were averaging 45-50km per week before the race. We ensured that the mileage we ran included a LSD, hill and speed training. As the weeks went by I could feel myself getting stronger in every race. Days before OMTOM I came across splits for a sub 2. The pace chart seemed doable. I decided this will be my goal.

I broke my race into 4 segments, each segment having a different average pace. I had a slow start and had to struggle to make my way through the crowd. At the 4km mark I was able to run more freely, however at that stage I was already behind schedule. I then decided to try to keep to the pacing as planned and to make up for time on the declines. While climbing Southern Cross Drive I kept telling myself I’ve trained for this and that it’s nothing new. This kept me going until I reached the top. It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment, the 17 minutes it took from the bottom to the top as this was the part of the race I feared. By the time I reached the M3 I realised I still needed to make up time. Even with all the inclines I still decided to run it as hard as I could. About 200 meters to the finish I could hear the crowd counting down sub 2hrs and I realised I wasn’t going to make it.

I am not sure how it feels like to win a race, but that’s how I felt when I completed the race. Even though I missed my goal by a few seconds, the feeling of accomplishment after finishing the race made all the effort I put in worthwhile and I would do it all over again.

The comparison with a roller-coaster describes my Comrades experience both from a mental and physical perspective! In addition to the highs and lows of preparing for 2014, the impact the race had on me in 2013 weighted heavily on my shoulders. Those who know me from a running perspective know that I plan and analyse meticulously before races to make sure I have the best chance of achieving my goal – in 2013 that planning came crashing down spec- spectacularly at the half way stage when I realized that my race was over and that 8 to 6 months of training will not end in a medal. I ran on until the 80k mark in 2013 knowing that I will not make it in time and little did I know back then that that resolve to carry on until the organizers tell me to get off the road will define my race in 2014! It is for reason that I mentioned to my fellow Com- rades runners at the “aches and pains” party – take heart in your performance. You should train and plan for the race BUT – it all comes down to what happens on the day! That is what makes a Comrades runner lining up at the start already a CHAMPION AND WINNER – you go through this roller coaster and yet you have the COURAGE to start knowing that with all your planning it might come to nothing! So those runners that did not achieve their goals – wear your Comrades cap and sweater with PRIDE! Everyone that started deserves it as much as the winner who finished the race in 05h28 minutes. So back to my roller-coaster...I can bore you with pages and pages of it but what stands out for me will be the last 16k’s of the race! I was really feeling the effects of the race at that stage and still had to climb (more like walk – LOL) the 2km’s of Cowies Hill. On the way up I saw runners with the C and B seedings (meaning they are the fast runners) sitting dejected along the route – so the thought crossed my mind that if they believe that there is not enough time left...what about me that is a “back runner”! This is where the experience of 2013 kicked in...you see - in analyzing my race of 2013 I realized that I lost the m﻿ental battle more than the physical battle – I gave up before my body gave up! And just as those thoughts crossed my mind the last “12 hour bus” of the infamous Vlam Pieterse came past me (in 2013 when I couldn’t keep up with it I thought my race was done!). At that point I told myself that you take whatever you have left (mental and physical) and made myself a promise that no matter what – I will not lose sight of this bus..and there were stages where the bus was about 1 km ahead of me in the last 10km’s BUT I still finished ahead of it!!! So my novice advice to anyone that will be attempting this great race (and it is true what they say! Nothing compares with Comrades) – prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for the race to me the mental preparation is just as important as the number of kilometers you will log in preparation for the race...What your mind can conceive you will indeed achieve! Finally...Shukran/Thank you to the ARD family for all the support along the route and at the end – only when you are a runner would you truly fully understand the positive effect your mere presence have on us!

To my friends – thanks for all the support (Firozah and Yusuf – shukran for carrying my goodies and mixing my drinks - which I thought was sport’s rehydrate but it was 32Gi – guess it helped!)

And most importantly...To my family (Gadija and my 4 boys) – shukran for accommodating my grumpiness for the past two years and allowing me to the time and space to train for this race.

﻿I was all excited before the start knowing I've done my training but every year its a different race. My mind was made up to run my sub 11:00 second at- tempt planning ahead during my training so I was in my comfort zone not to know what's still to come. You gain experience in every race: notice, pick up things you have not in your first race, mistakes you made previously and that makes all the difference. To be honest through all my ago- ny I've enjoyed my race unlike my very first one, even after my check up at the 53 km medical but not even that could bliss my spirit. I 'm running with high blood pressure and that alone puts a lot of strain on myself in such a long race but when you set your goals nothing else mat- ters but don't be selfish in your decisions. I will say it was a new experience for me and from there onwards self discipline was the key word. In situations like this for me its where your mental ability comes in and how strong you are in your way forward.

To be honest I cant speak much about a low because in my first one it was if somebody else was running the race and I'm just guiding along very weird but hard to explain. What I will advise is not to treat any minor injuries on race do it will come back to haunt you which is not a great feeling at all. When you cross the finish line ,pain does not matter or whatever happened during your race, its pure joy and happiness knowing you just accomplish one of the most cruel races the human body can take along with so many others . Advice for first timers: set your goals, make your dreams a reality, put in 70/80% of your training include mental training and go all out accomplish them. I hope this will be enough to inspire anyone.

ARD’s monthly time trials are in full swing. These training sessions are an in-valuable opportunity to increase speed and confidence. They are a way for us to track our progress and ensure we are moving forward in our running career. The ARD members involved in putting on each time trial do a tremendous job. It is like a mini race just for ARD! There is even a lucky draw at the end! Some important notes to be aware of when partaking in the time trials:

1.This is still a training session so while you are pushing hard and giving 85-90% you need to be making sure you are in control and in proper form.

2. There are two distance options, a 2.5km and a 5km. If you are running distances greater than 15km’s you should be doing the 5km time trial. 3.In order to run the most efficiently, you need to learn how to pace yourself. Time trials will help you with this. When running the time trial you should be increasing your speed as the trial progresses not slowing down. Constantly access how you are feeling and make adjustments to your pace as needed. For the past couple events we have had over 100 participants! Hopefully even more members will join in for the next one!

I started running when I was a teenager but nothing more than little runs here and there. I kept running, though only sporadically. After I had my son in August last year I really wanted to commit. I have wanted to run the Two Oceans full marathon since I came to South Africa but life happens and I've never made it even close to the Start line. My husband signed me up for the Two Oceans half marathon 2012 and I started training.

Running alone is extremely dull for me so I wasn't too motivated. Ayesha Khan invited me to run the Slave route awhile later and I had such a great time. I joined up with ARD and now our runs are the highlight of my day. I found the ARD team very friendly, welcoming and supportive. My first run in ARD colours was the 15km run last weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was very grateful to Boeta Achmat for all the encouragement and inspiration. Shukran to everyone these past few weeks. I'm looking forward to hitting the road with you all very soon. Suzie/Khadidja (July 2012)

I was out on the road early that morning supporting my sister and my two cousins running their first two oceans - one of whom was none other than ARDs very own Faldiela Shira Gassiep.They looked so impressive on the road and seemed to move so effortlessly even after 18km, that I promised them on that day that I will be joining them in this race come 2015! There was no way that I could allow 3 female family members outdo the boys like that!!

At first, I didn’t really think that I would really do it – my idea of getting to one point from another was to get in the car and drive there – else what’s the point of a car then?But a few weeks after OMTOM 2014, I went for my annual diabetes check-up (I was diagnosed with diabetes about 12 years ago). My doctor informed me that my medication had to be strengthened and that it will have to include high blood pressure as well as cholesterol medication. Needless to say, this came as a shock to me – I was feeling healthy!! I played squash once a week, ran around on the soccer field coaching juniors, how could this be?I has to remind myself what diabetes really is: a silent killer that cannot be cured but it can definitely be controlled and kept in check IF I as the sufferer choose to do so – and that’s exactly what I decided to do – Fight back. There was no way that I was going to allow myself to be a sickly 50 year old and a burden to my wife and kids.

A few of my close friends (Aysha Narker, Fuad Jacobs, Rukaya Dien, Tahsheen Salie and Zulfa Hendricks) were already training at ARD at the time and I decided to give it a try…the rest, as they say is history.The first day was scary – I started on the evening of a time trial! I can’t even remember what my time was for 2.5 km – I think it was close to 20 minutes and it took days to recover! I always felt that, for me, running was the same as someone with arachnophobia for whom every spider appears 10 times its actual size. In my case, the longer the distance the bigger the fear. But that was soon eradicated by running with the ARD team in Grassy Park – what a fantastic group of people to share the road with!

The co-axing and coaching of Coach Marshall, the advice and encouragement of Boeta Achmat, Nasrullah and my fellow running buddies kept me motivated and I haven’t looked back since – running has become an addiction! And while my better half resents this addiction somewhat, she encourages me anyway because she can see how it’s benefiting me and the family too.My health has improved tremendously – my diabetes is under control, running relaxes me and keeps my blood pressure down and one very exciting fact: my eyesight has improved! The white spots indicating sugar behind the eyes has diminished, decreasing the risk of blindness as a result of diabetes – how awesome is that!? My heart is strong and there’s no evidence of any past problem (I suffered a angina attack when I was 42)I don’t think I’ve felt as full of life and energy in all of my forties as I do now. Running and preparing for races automatically made me more aware of my diet as well.That’s where my motto for running stems from:Run for your health and not you death!

Last, but not least – I kept my promise to my sister and Faldilah – I ran OMTOM 2015!!! What a proud achievement indeed – I wore my T shirt 2 days in a row!!A big problem with OMTOM though – it just leaves one hungry for more…